


Perfectly Poisoned

by Daddy_Clarinetist



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Cats, Child Abuse, Journals, Kingdoms, M/M, Magic, Poor Virgil, Shapeshifting, Warlocks, false information, helpful logan, helpful patton, prince roman, royal family, virgil is Cinderella but not
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-08-22 06:48:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16592900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daddy_Clarinetist/pseuds/Daddy_Clarinetist
Summary: “Turning back to the front page, Roman got ready to begin his first sentence. Just as he was about to put his pen to the paper, words began to appear on their own. Roman jumped in surprise, tossing the book away from him. He was not expecting words that were not his own to suddenly appear like that. His fear kept him away for a moment, but his curiosity won him over. He picked the book back up, reading the few sentences that had already been written.”Virgil is suffering at the hand of his father. One day, he leaves his house in order to get away from the pain for a little bit. He meets a warlock named Patton, who gives him an enchanted journal. Whatever he writes in this journal will show up in the journal that it is connected to.Roman is the prince of Sanders, and he is next in line for the throne. All his life, his parents and tutor have told him about how perfect the kingdom is. Not a single one of their people are unhappy. However, he is soon given a magical journal. The person on the other side of the journal writes about their horrid life inside the kingdom, something that Roman finds hard to believe. How could somebody be suffering in such a perfect kingdom?





	1. Chapter 1

Once upon a time, there existed a large kingdom that went by the name of Sanders, named after the royal family that had been in charge for hundreds of years. They were a reasonable family, most of the time. There have been times in the past where a cruel ruler would take power, but they were always replaced by others in the family soon after, returning the peace that naturally belonged to the kingdom. As of now, the king and queen were loved by their people, and nobody could ask for anyone better. Even their children were angels that would become fine rulers in the future! The royal family was very determined to keep up their reputation of being wonderful. At least, this was what the royal family believed.

 

However, just because the royal family believed in peace and prosperity for their kingdom, that did not mean that everyone living there was equally as good. There were still people living in poverty and others who were hated by those around them. Some things just couldn’t be prevented.

 

One such boy living a life in much despair had been named Virgil Srednas by his biological mother. This kind-hearted woman, who had loved Virgil more than anything in the world, had long since passed. This left the young boy at the hands of his father, who was evil in his own rights. He belittled Virgil over everything he did and forced chore upon chore on him, never making his life easy. To make matters worse, the man had a new wife, and she was just as bad. She hated Virgil more than his father did, if that was even possible. 

 

“Virgil!” A shrill voice screamed from upstairs, “Where is ( **my super suit** ) the dress I told you to bring up here?!”

 

Virgil sighed, not wanting to deal with his stepmom right now. She was a wicked being, and he swore that her sole purpose in life was to make his miserable. Everyday, it was always “Virgil, this is wrong!” and “Virgil, I told you this!” She was just like his father, except she set him up for failure too. 

 

He started to head up the stairs, knowing it would be worse if he kept her waiting. He did not need a repeat of last time happening again. He still had small pieces of fabric hot glued in his hair (that had hurt!). 

 

“VIRGIL!” His stepmom screamed again.

 

“I’m coming!” Virgil replied as loud as he dared, which wasn’t very loud due to the fact that he was scared of the punishment he would get for yelling at his stepmom. 

 

Entering her bedroom, which truly was a ghastly place, he found the woman standing there in ugly sweatpants and a low-cut shirt that would have shown a lot if she actually had it. She was holding a light blue dress: the one she had told Virgil to grab for her. 

 

“I told you to get my dark blue dress with the white collar!” The stepmom complained.

 

“No, you told me to get the light blue one with the frilly sides,” Virgil reminded her. 

 

“Don’t talk back to me! I know exactly what I asked for, and it was the dark blue one! Now, take your worthless self downstairs and get the correct dress before I tell your dad about this!” 

 

Virgil really did not want his father to hear about this, for he would surely be hurting for it if he did, so he took the “incorrect” dress from his stepmom and went back downstairs. He made his way to the cellar, or, as his stepmom liked to call it, her closet. It was bigger than the closet in the master bedroom, which was still half full of her clothes and half full of his father’s clothes. The rest of his stepmom’s garments went into the cellar.

 

Grabbing the dark blue dress, Virgil went to return to his stepmom before she got angrier for making her wait longer. He took the stairs of the cellar two at a time, though it probably did not make much of a difference since it took longer for him to leap the distance. Being a lanky, yet out of shape, teenager really was a fun time. 

 

“Virgil!” The stepmom started to yell again, wanting to hurry things along. Virgil was about to respond, but he was interrupted by the front door opening.

 

“What is going on in here?” Virgil’s father demanded to know as he stepped into the house. “Why are you yelling, my darling?”

 

Virgil knew he was done for. He was at the top of the steps leading upstairs, so he had the perfect view of his father looking up at him with strict, beady eyes. The boy gripped tightly to the dress he was holding, fear starting to consume him.

 

“The wretch brought me the wrong dress from my closet!” The stepmom revealed.

 

“Did he now,” Mr. Srednas frowned. 

 

Virgil gulped loudly. His body was frozen, unwilling to move even a tiny bit. He felt himself start to panic internally as he watched his father ascend the stairs, coming towards him in a predatory manner. The last thing he heard before the first punch was thrown was the voice of his stepmom.

 

“Don’t get blood on my dress!”

 

...

 

Prince Roman strolled through the castle, heading towards the throne room in order to see what his father wanted to talk to him about. He probably wanted to tell Roman another story about how great the kingdom was. Roman was always up for that.

 

Roman was the oldest child of the current king and queen, meaning he was next in line for the throne. His father took every opportunity he got to tell Roman how to run the kingdom. It would be up to him to keep the place as peaceful as it was now. Roman was taught that there was nothing wrong with the kingdom all of his life, and he believed it fully. He wanted to make sure that everything was still perfect while he was king too.

 

“Hello, my son!” the King grinned as his son entered the throne room. “You came just in time! The messenger just left! He told me all about how well the kingdom is doing!”

 

Roman smiled back at his father, laughing to himself because of the coincidence that occurred again. All of his life, it seemed like Roman had come in to talk to his father right after the messenger left, meaning he had never met the man or heard any of these tales out of his mouth. He once decided that there was no messenger when he was a child, but as he grew up, he found that that would be irrational because somebody had to be giving his father news about his impeccable kingdom.

 

“What did he have to say, father?” Roman asked.

 

“He was just telling me about how there have not been any reports of crime, just like usual! The kingdom is entirely peaceful, and everybody is happy! You should be proud to have a father such as me, Roman. I’ve created the perfect kingdom,” The king ranted, boasting. 

 

“Yes, I am proud. You know I am.”

 

Roman loved his parents very much. He had read so many stories about tragedies falling upon other kingdoms. Fortunately, his father learned how to please everyone. There hadn’t been a crime in the territory in many years. Nothing could be better.

 

“Roman,” the queen, who was sitting on her throne next to her husband’s, said, “your tutor will be coming in soon, so make sure you’re ready for him. I know it’s last minute, but he has asked for some time to go on vacation with his wife next week, so we decided that you’d have a few extra lessons this week to make up for what you’ll miss next week.”

 

“Alright, that’s fine. Thank you for telling me, mom. I’ll go freshen up right now,” Roman smiled, always eager to learn more about the kingdom. He wanted to be a great king in the future, so he had to learn as much as possible in order to know what to do. 

 

Roman made his way back to his quarters in order to get ready for the day. He waved and smiled at the people he passed by on the way, even thanking those who were working, something his father always forgot to do. Roman was a favorite within the staff of the royal family. He was kinder than anyone else, but they hoped that he would be able to learn a lot more before he became king.

 

“Roman!” a voice called out, catching him just as he was about to enter his quarters. The prince turned around to find his brother, Thomas, approaching him.

 

“Hello, Thomas,” Roman greeted him, “how are you doing?”

 

“I’m just great! I’m going out to the garden, would you like to join me?”

 

“I wish I could, but I have a lesson in a little bit.”

 

“I thought you were free this morning,” Thomas frowned, wanting to hang out with his older brother. Roman adored the younger boy, mostly because they were both the kind siblings. While his other siblings weren’t necess-celery mean, they also didn’t go out of their way to be nice either. Roman and Thomas both loved to see people smile, so they did all they could to bring out a little happiness. 

 

“I was, but my schedule changed because my tutor needs time off next week. You know our parents. They don’t want to keep anyone from enjoying time with their family, and they especially don’t want to refuse a vacation from time to time,” Roman explained.

 

“Well, how about tonight, then? We could sit under the stairs or something.”

 

“I’d like that, Thomas. I can’t wait.”

 

Thomas grinned before bounding off again. Roman watched him leave, in an even better mood now that he would be spending time with his brother that night. He could tell that it was going to be a really good day.


	2. Chapter 2

Patton wheezed as he turned the corner, pressing himself against the wall so that he wouldn’t be seen. He listened attentively as the people behind him got closer. Hiding there was a huge risk, but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to get away by running some more. He had to try his luck.

 

Those after him were very close now. He could clearly make out the shouts coming from the crowd, each one more hateful than the last. Patton shut his eyes tightly, not wanting to see if they would find him or not. 

 

It got very loud. The crowd was passing by where Patton had turned. He hoped that none of them would notice him. 

 

Another moment went by.

 

Then, there was silence.

 

Patton sighed in relief. He had not been found. He would go on to live another day. Quickly, he made his way back down the street, going back the way he came, away from where the others had gone. Patton ran all the way back to his home in the woods.

 

“I’m home!” Patton called out once he made it back. His house was a small place surrounded by the trees of the woods, hidden from view of simple passerbys. A great deal of magic also hid the house, making it so only those who were deemed worthy could stumble upon it. So far, nobody had been able to do so. 

 

There weren’t any other people living with Patton, so it seemed like his greeting to his house was unnecessary. However, he did have a cat that, for whatever reason, had decided that he liked Patton from the moment they met. Patton was so used to people being scared of him or hating him that having his furry friend was an accepted thing. Patton couldn’t NOT greet his cat.

 

Logan, as Patton had come to start calling the cat, calmly walked over to where Patton had just sat down. The cat rubbed his head against Patton’s hand, trying to calm him down, as he could tell that he was upset.

 

“The knights were after me again,” Patton whimpered, not wanting to show too much distress. “They fully believe me to be a warlock now. While they are not wrong, it would be better if they weren’t trying to chase me down in order to kill me. I hate these stupid laws against supernatural creatures.”

 

“Meow!” Logan cried out. He was strangely smart for a cat, so he knew exactly what he needed to do to make his human feel better. He curled up into his lap, letting the warlock scratch him between the ears. Normally, he’d be a little more averse to touch, but Patton needed to be soothed.

 

“Thank you,” Patton whispered as he continued to pet his cat. Logan stayed silent, but after a moment, he started to purr ever so slightly. Patton was just about to fall asleep after his exhausting day when he felt a sudden pulse in the magic surrounding the house. He sat up quickly, alarmed. Nobody should have been able to get through the wards. Only those worthy could, and he made sure to put the highest of standards in his magic. Whoever could pass through would have to have no intention of hurting him. They would have to not care about the fact that he was a witch. In fact, they would have to be completely alright with it. However, the entire kingdom was against him due to the king wishing for all supernatural beings to be executed. So, who could possibly have set off his wards?

 

Creeping up to the window, Patton sneakily peered outside. It was very dark outside, so it was harder for him to see. Looking around, it seemed as though there was nobody there. Maybe something had gone wrong with his magic, or maybe he needed to renew the wards. He was about to walk away to find his spellbook when he saw movement coming from outside. Squinting into the darkness, Patton saw that it was a teenage boy, only a little bit younger than he was. The boy was staggering along, appearing to be injured. 

 

Patton contemplated what he should do. If this boy was able to get through his wards, then surely he couldn’t be a bad guy. Besides, he was hurt, so Patton had to help him! He opened the door quietly, trying not to startle the boy.

 

“Hello?” Patton whispered, barely loud enough for the other to hear. The boy jumped in surprise when he noticed Patton, not expecting to find anybody nearby.

 

“Oh, hello,” the boy said back, “I’ve very sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you. I think that I’m lost. I was running away, and I kept wandering around until I made it here.”

 

“It’s fine,” Patton didn’t feel as stressed anymore. This boy seemed nice, so there was no reason for him to worry about why he was there. “I can help you find your way. Would you like something to drink first? I can also tend to your injuries.”

 

The boy studied Patton, trying to determine whether he could trust the man. Finally, he nodded, in too much pain to refuse the kind offer. Patton gestured for the boy to follow him inside, closing the door once they were both safe in the house. Now that the boy was illuminated by the light inside the house, Patton could see that there were bruises lining his body everywhere. He was in even more pain than he had originally thought, and that scared him.

 

“What happened?” Patton asked. He sat the boy down on a wooden chair, quickly going off to the other side of the room to fetch some supplied. When he returned, he asked the question again in a softer tone, not wanting the boy to fear him. 

 

“It… It was nothing. Well, nothing that I’m not used to. There are cruel people in this world, and I happen to live with some of the cruelest. It’s something I just have to deal with,” the boy told him, staring at the floor. Patton began to treat his wounds, using a generous amount of medical cream. It was at this moment that he wished he was more advanced in his studies. It would have been so much better if he could use healing magic on the boy, but only high level warlocks could perform such spells.

 

Patton frowned. “That isn’t something that you should have to deal with.”

 

The boy didn’t say anything to that. Patton tried to figure out what was going on in his head, but he was unable to get a good read on him. 

 

Instead, he asked, “What’s your name?”

 

The boy glanced up at him before looking back down at the ground. “Virgil.”

 

“Well, hello Virgil. My name is Patton!”

 

It was right at this point that Patton’s cat decided to jump up onto Virgil’s lap, startling the boy. He was very surprised to find the cat there, but after looking into the precious eyes for a moment, he soon relaxed, petting the cat.

 

Patton giggled. “That is Logan. He is too smart for his own good. I believe that he was a person in a past life and came into this world still thinking he was a person.”

 

Virgil smiled at that. He absolutely loved cats, and he could totally believe Patton’s story. This cat did seem very human-like.

 

Soon, Patton was finished with treating Virgil’s wounds. Virgil thanked him, then stood up and made for the door.

 

“Wait!” Patton stopped him. “Where are you going?”

 

“I have to get home,” Virgil said.

 

“Well, isn’t that where you got hurt? Why don’t you stay with me for a few days before trying to find a place on your own? I would invite you to stay with me forever, but I’m afraid that I don’t have enough space,” Patton lied about the lack of space. He just did not want Virgil getting killed for living with a warlock.

 

“I can’t. I have to get back. It’ll be worse if I don’t return. They would find me, and then they would kill me. They have no idea that I even left, so I have to get back before they find out.”

 

Patton was not happy to hear that he was planning on returning to such a horrible place, but he could not stop the other from going. He couldn’t keep him from going back towards danger, but maybe he could do something else to help the boy.

 

“At least let me give you something first,” Patton pleaded. “Let me make your life at least a little bit better.”

 

Virgil considered this, then nodded. He felt as if he had nothing left to lose, so gaining a gift from this stranger had to be better than nothing. Patton told him to wait while he went into the other room to grab something. Logan followed along, wanting to know what his human was doing.

 

Patton searched around the room he was in, looking for something he could use to help the boy. The room was where he kept all of his magical equipment. All kinds of books and object littered the room, but somehow Patton knew where almost everything was.

 

“Aha!” Patton cheered as he finally got an idea. He grabbed two identical journals that sat on top of his desk. They were blank at the moment, for he was planning on using them for a research project on elemental magic, but they would be put to better use in his new plan. He held the journals up to his face, whispering a small enchantment onto them. “There. This should help put a stop to his miserable life.”

 

Walking back into the front room, Patton handed Virgil one of the two books. “Use this to write in whenever you need to. I find writing what happens to me very useful when trying to calm down. Maybe it will give you some more peace of mind.”

 

“Thank you,” Virgil said, trying not to let his eyes water. The last person to give him a gift was his mother, and that was many years ago. “Thank you for everything.”

 

“It’s no big deal,” Patton reassured him. “Now, if you just walk straight once you exit my house, you’ll find yourself out of these woods.”

 

Virgil nodded in understanding, and then he was off. Patton watched him go, only turning away when Virgil disappeared from sight. 

 

“And maybe,” Patton said to himself, “this will solve more than just Virgil’s problem. Maybe it’ll even solve mine, as well as fix the rest of the kingdom.”

 

Patton called out to Logan, who was by his side instantly. He held the other journal out to the cat. Logan took the book in his mouth, effortlessly lifting it up. Patton didn’t even need to explain to Logan what he wanted him to do. The cat was already out the door with the journal.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The italic letters are what Virgil writes. The bold letters are what Roman writes.

Roman sat in his quarters that night, unable to fall asleep. He had a good day; he understood everything his tutor taught him, had a great talk about the kingdom with his father, and got to spend the entire evening talking to Thomas. He should be feeling exhausted. He should be falling right to sleep, but he wasn’t. He was laying there, as wide awake as possible, thinking about absolutely nothing.

 

There was no reason for him to be awake right now. There was nothing for him to be worrying about. The kingdom was safe, his family was doing alright, and Roman himself was having a good life. However, something felt very wrong, and that did not sit well with Roman. 

 

As he was laying there, trying to force sleep to take him, he heard a scratching noise coming from his window. Roman froze, unsure of what could be outside. The curtains covered whatever was out there from his view. All he could do was guess as the scratching became louder and more persistent. 

 

Giving in, Roman stood up, making his way towards the window. He touched the curtain, about to pull it back. He stopped for a second, feeling nervous. What if it was a monster trying to get him? What if somebody was trying to kidnap him? All of these thoughts occurred to him, but he also knew that they were impossible. There were no monsters in the kingdom. Nobody was evil enough to kidnap a person. Before he could stop himself, Roman made up his mind. He threw the curtains aside, ready to face whatever was out there.

 

It was a cat. Roman let out the breath he had been holding. It was just a silly cat. It couldn’t hurt him. He unlocked the window, opening it enough so that the cat could come in.

 

“Hello, little fella,” Roman greeted the cat. The cat sat down, looking up at him. It was then that Roman noticed the book that the cat held in his mouth. “Doesn’t that hurt you to be carrying such a heavy book?”

 

The cat just stared at him blankly before moving forward to place the book on Roman’s lap.

 

“What?” Roman questioned the cat. “For me?”

 

The cat ignored him, choosing to escape back out the window instead.

 

“Hey, wait, you can’t give me somebody else’s book!” Roman protested, but it was in vain. The cat was gone. 

 

Roman sighed in exasperation. Surely this book belonged to someone. They must be looking for it. Roman opened the book up to the front page to see if there was a name written anywhere, but he found that there wasn't any type of name at all. There was only one thing written on the inside cover of the journal. It said, “Use wisely.”

 

It was very odd. Flipping through the pages, Roman found that all of the pages were completely blank. Maybe...Maybe the cat was giving the book to Roman? That didn’t make any sense, but it was the only explanation Roman could come up with. 

 

Roman decided to try to write something in the book. He grabbed a pen from his desk. Thank the universe for the new writing utensils the kingdom’s master inventors came up with. Writing was so much easier nowadays. Quills were always so hard to use.

 

Turning back to the front page, Roman got ready to begin his first sentence. Just as he was about to put his pen to the paper, words began to appear on their own. Roman jumped in surprise, tossing the book away from him. He was not expecting words that were not his own to suddenly appear like that. His fear kept him away for a moment, but his curiosity won him over. He picked the book back up, reading the few sentences that had already been written.

 

_ Today, a strange man who helped me when I was lost gave me this journal. His name was Patton, and he told me to use it to calm myself. I don’t actually believe that I’ll be able to calm down just by writing down my thoughts and feelings, but I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try. _

 

This was already very odd to Roman. He had no idea how these words were writing themselves onto the page. He wondered whether they were an actual person or if the journal was thinking for itself somehow. The latter did not make sense with the story that was being written, but he had no idea how it could be possible for it to be a person either. 

 

The words continued for a while, and Roman soaked up everything that was said.

 

_ The reason I got lost today was because I ran away. Of course, I was not running away for good, but I needed to escape my house for a little bit. My father and stepmother were too busy sucking each other’s faces off to notice me slipping away.  _

 

_ I needed to escape because… well, because my father hurt me, let’s just say that. He hurts me all the time. My stepmother does too, but she mostly just frames me for things, which then leads to my dad hurting me some more. It was a really bad night, so I had to get away.  _

 

_ Patton helped me clean up my bruises. He had some type of special ointment that made me feel better as soon as he put it on me. It was almost magical, which would have been impossible because anything to do with magic has been banned from the kingdom for years. _

 

Roman really felt bad for whatever kingdom this person belonged to. They were obviously having a really hard time. Roman wished that he could help them, but there was nothing he could do, especially if they were part of a faraway land. When he was king, he would try to help out other kingdoms so that they were not like this.

 

_ Everything in this kingdom feels like it has been poisoned. So many people are suffering. I want to get out. If only I could run off to the Kingdom of Stokes or the Williams Dynasty.  _

 

Those two kingdoms were some of his kingdom’s closest allies. Sure, they were very peaceful as well, but they had more crime going on there. The safest place to be was Roman’s kingdom, so why did they not mention Sanders?

 

_ Anything to get away from Sanders. _

 

Roman felt rage and confusion fill him. He was angry about how somebody could say that Sanders was such a bad place. His parents made the perfect kingdom, so why would this person create lies about what is going on in their life? He was confused because there was no reason to be lying. He had no idea what could cause a person to hate the kingdom. 

 

Before he could think rationally, Roman picked up his pen and jotted down some of his own words.

 

**You are a liar.**

 

No other words were written for a moment. They were most likely trying to think of more lies that they could use back against him. Roman wasn’t thinking straight. He had no idea if there really was a person on the other side. This person could be dangerous if there was, yet he had just responded to what they had said. 

 

_ I am not a liar. Who are you? How are you writing in my journal? _

 

Ah, so the other person had a journal as well. Roman wondered if they had two different journals that were somehow connected or if they were writing in the same one at two different places and/or times. Magic could get messy, so anything was possible.

 

**You said that Sanders is a bad place. That can not be true, for this kingdom is surely the best one out there. There are no crimes such as the ones you described your father doing to you. Magic is not banned, those who use it are just good people who don’t hurt others.**

 

_ You must be delusional. I live in Sanders, and everywhere I go is horrible. Magical creatures are executed all the time. Depression has hit every home in the kingdom, especially mine. The only people that seem to be happy are the royal family, but they’re just a bunch of stuck up rich people who ignore the needs of their people.  _

 

**I’m sure that you are mistaken. Perhaps you live in the very far past from my time? I’ve heard that there have been rough patches in Sanders’ history, but all of that has been sorted out by now. Everything is wonderful as it is.**

 

_ Then I envy you. I live my entire life in constant fear and pain. It must be nice to not have to worry about that kinds of stuff. _

 

**...I’m sorry that you are living this way. I wish that there was something i could do to help, but alas, I don’t think there is. Of course, we have found that we are able to communicate to each other now, so you can always write to me. I’ll try to be there for you as much as I can.**

 

_ You mean like friends? You want to be my friend? _

 

**I guess so, yeah.**

 

_ I’ve never had a friend before. _

 

**Me neither. I’ve only had my siblings.**

 

_ How can we be friends if we can’t even see each other? We obviously don’t live in the same time, so we would never get to meet or anything like that. I don’t even know if you’re actually real! _

 

**Well, I am real, and I will still try to be there for you. We can figure this out. I promise.**

 

_ Okay… I’ve got to go. I need to get to bed so that I can get up early enough to do my chores. Goodbye. _

 

Roman’s anger had completely vanished. All he felt now was sadness and worry. He had no idea how it was possible, but he was talking to somebody that had lived through one of the harder times in the kingdom. It was impossible for him to physically help them out, and that scared him. He worried for his new friend. He didn’t know who this person was, but he wanted them to be safe. 

 

It was weird to think about how his friend would have already died by now, though. All of the events in their life would have happened a long time ago. He wondered how they died. Was it by the hands of his father? Or was he able to escape and peacefully live out the rest of his life?

 

These thoughts swarmed Roman as he laid back down again. Clenching the book close to his chest, he finally managed to fall asleep.

 

...

 

Virgil couldn’t let anyone know that he had this journal. When he woke up the morning after his conversation with the mysterious person from the future, he realized that the journal would count as a magical artifact. Those were highly illegal in the kingdom, and if anyone found out that he had it, he would be executed. He would have to hide it from sight, especially from his father, who would love to get an excuse like that to turn him into the authorities. 

 

He decided to place the journal in his the small compartment in the corner of his “room.” Technically, his room was a larger walk in closet, but his father had thought that it was a perfect place for his son. There was just enough room for a few blankets, a pillow, and some clothes. What his father did not know was that there was a tiny compartment in the corner for storing things. It was probably built there for whoever lived in the house to place things like money and expensive jewelry, but it was also the perfect place for Virgil to hide any of his important items that would get him in trouble with his father. He kept his pile of clothes in front of it in order to hide it. His father would not even think about moving the clothes because he would be too disgusted to touch any of his stuff.

 

Virgil placed the journal in his secret spot, making sure everything was in place again so that the compartment would be hidden. Once he was satisfied with his work, he headed out to start working on some chores his father had given him. 

 

All day, Virgil worked and worked. There was an endless amount chores on the list, like always. At one point, his father passed by him in a hurry, trying to get to work on time. He warned Virgil that if he didn’t get his chores done by the time he got home, he would regret it.

 

It was a good thing Virgil had developed a skill at getting an impossible amount of work done in a short amount of time. He hurried through the work, putting in enough effort to please his father, but not so much in that it would take too much time. As he worked, he thought long and hard about the journal. Patton had been the one to give it to him, which made Virgil wonder how Patton had gotten it. Had Patton known the journal was enchanted? If Patton was working with magic, Virgil hoped that he was being careful. He had been such a nice guy. It would be a shame if something were to happen to him because of one of the many unfair rules their kingdom had.

 

He got the chores done right in time, dusting off the last spot in the living room as the front door opened. In walked his father, who looked very happy.

 

“Where is my darling wife?” He asked Virgil.

 

“I don’t know,” Virgil hesitated to reply, not wanting to say the wrong thing. “She went out about an hour ago. I think she said something about going out for tea with one of her friends?”

 

“What a shame. I had wonderful news.”

 

Virgil didn’t say anything, thinking that he’d get punished for speaking again. His father stood there in the silence, staring down at him. This made Virgil realize that he was waiting for Virgil to ask him about it. He quickly asked what the news was, not wanting to be yelled at for being slow.

 

“Why, another warlock has been found and executed!” His father revealed. Virgil’s eyes widened. He had thought it was odd that his father was telling him anything. It made sense now. His father knew that he hated the bans on magic, so he took every opportunity he could get to boast about how the kingdom is cracking down on magic users. “Get this: it was the royal tutor of the eldest prince! He had been hiding his identity for years, and he managed to trick the palace by suppressing his own magic! He must have thought that being close to the royal family would mean that he wouldn’t be seen as suspicious, but they caught him anyway! The monster got what was coming for him. He died just this afternoon.”

 

Virgil could feel his heart pounding in his chest as his father disappeared upstairs. So many innocent people were being robbed of their lives for no reason. The king and queen preached about how perfect their kingdom was, but they were blatantly ignoring how everyone was suffering instead. 

 

They were ignoring how people like him were suffering.


	4. Chapter 4

“Why do you have to hire me a new tutor?” Roman asked his mother. “I thought mine was taking a vacation next week. What happened to all of the extra lessons I was supposed to have this week?”

 

“Well, you see, your tutor decided that he wanted to have a lot more risk in his life. He and his wife moved out of the kingdom to one with more crimes and unhappiness. You know how those thrill seekers are,” the queen explained.

 

“That makes no sense,” Roman pointed out, “he was the calmest person I know. He was the exact opposite of a thrill seeker! He took joy in knowledge and reading, not living in a place where he would have to constantly avoid death.”

 

“I guess you didn’t know him as well as you thought you did. It’s sad that he’s gone, I know, but we’ll get you an even better tutor! One that you will learn even more from! It make take a couple of weeks, but we’ll eventually find one.”

 

A few weeks without learning the history of the kingdom. Roman felt like he was going to be so behind. “Why can’t you or father teach me until then? Or one of the other tutors in the palace?”

 

“Your father and I are much too busy to be giving you full lessons. You could sit in with your siblings for some of their lessons, but they are behind you, remember? You are the oldest. It would just be a bunch of stuff you have already learned.”

 

Roman frowned, but he could see that he was not going to win this argument. He would have to accept that he would be learning nothing about the kingdom for the next few weeks. All he would get would be the short summaries that his father would tell him about what was going on, but that was nothing like learning the full history of the place.

 

He left his mother, hurrying to return to his quarters. He needed somebody to talk to, somebody he wasn’t related to. When he got to his quarters, he picked up the journal that he had placed in his desk. Grabbing a pen, he rapidly began to write.

 

**Are you there? I would really like somebody to talk to at the moment.**

 

Roman waited a few minutes, but he did not receive a reply. He groaned, not wanting to wait for his new friend to see his message. If only there was a way for him to get the other person’s attention easily. 

 

If his friend’s life was really as hard as he said it was, then it was possible that he wouldn’t be able to write in the journal until late at night everyday. His father could be watching his every move from the moment he was awake to the moment he went to sleep. Roman did not want this to be the case, but he had to be ready for anything similar when it comes to his friend. 

 

Suddenly, Roman heard a loud shout. Racing to his window, Roman tried to find the source of the noise. He had the perfect view of the front of the castle, and right at the entrance was a mob of people trying to push through the line of knights guarding the castle.

 

He had to get down there. Roman was very confused on what was happening, and he had to find out what the commotion was. He exited his quarters, heading towards one of the rooms that was directly above the entrance. There, he would not be seen by anyone unless they were actively searching for him in the windows, but he would be able to see and hear everything.

 

“I need everyone to BACK UP right now!” One of the knights shouted, doing his best to keep the crowd from going any further towards the castle. The crowd shouted back, calling the man all kinds of nasty names. They were holding pitchforks, and some even had torches. It was something Roman had only ever seen in books.

 

Surely this couldn’t be a protest, could it? That didn’t seem logical at all. Nobody in the kingdom had any reason to be protesting, so why were they there? 

 

“This has gone too far!” Somebody from the mob yelled.

 

“The king and queen are killing off innocent people!” Another screamed.

 

“This just isn’t right!” Even another cried out.

 

Roman felt sick. What were these people talking about? His parents certainly were not killing people. They wouldn’t even think about hurting an innocent life. 

 

“People shouldn’t be punished because they were born with magic!” 

 

“Humans used to be able to live side by side with magical beings!”

 

“Other kingdoms welcome those with powers, and they’re thriving a lot more than we are!”

 

So many words were being yelled, all of which contradicted everything that Roman had been taught. He had no idea what to think of it. Was he supposed to ignore what these people were saying in favor of what he had been told? Or should he investigate further? Something must be going on if this many people showed up to protest, but… murder? Roman could not see his parents doing such a thing.

 

Roman had to get out of there. He sprinted across the castle, getting back to his quarters in record time. He was out of breath, but it was worth getting away from the noise. Some of the shouting could still be heard from where he was at, but the words weren’t as clear anymore. It was easier for him to tune it out.

 

Picking the journal back up, Roman found that his friend had responded.

 

_ I’m here. My father has gone back out to search for my stepmom, so I have time to write without worrying about them walking in on me. What did you need to talk about? _

 

**So much is happening right now. I don’t know what to think of it.**

 

_ What’s happening? Is the world not as perfect as you thought it was? … Wait, that was a little insensitive. I am sorry. _

 

**It’s alright… It’s just… my tutor quit on me today out of nowhere. He left the kingdom, apparently. Then, there was this big mob surrounding the castle, which is not normal at all. Something is going on, but I have no idea what.**

 

_ That’s weird. Things are very similar here as well. The royal tutor of the oldest prince was executed today because he turned out to be a warlock. It’s horrible. Then, there were mobs heading to the palace. They were angry at the king and queen for letting the man be executed, especially since they had trusted him before. I can hear chaos all over the place right now, and it’s worse than it usually is. Of course, the royal family still ignores us. They always neglect our wants and needs. _

 

Roman paused, feeling uncertain.

 

**Wait, the royal tutor was executed? For being a warlock? Why?**

 

_ All magic is banned in my time, remember?  _

 

**This is so strange. I don’t remember reading anything about magic being banned or people being executed for having magic during my tutoring sessions… What is the name of the oldest prince? Maybe I will be able to find out more about your time period if I know the names of the royal family.**

 

_ Wow, asking for the prince’s name before even knowing my own. _

 

Roman jerked back in shock. He had forgotten that he didn’t even know the name of the person who he was writing to. He felt so dumb for not asking before. It had just felt like they had clicked so fast that asking for their name didn’t occur to him.

 

**I’m so sorry, I had not realized that I had never asked. What is the name of the person on the other side of my conversation? Oh, and what is your gender, might I ask?**

 

_ I think I’ll just leave you in suspense since you had forgotten.  _

 

Roman smiled down at the journal. He was starting to really enjoy talking to this person. He didn’t want to stop writing to them. Their humor matched perfectly with his own. He felt like he had known this person for a while, despite the fact that they haven’t even met before.

 

**How rude. Might I inform you that you never asked for my name either? I guess I’ll “leave you in suspense” as well.**

 

_ Whatever. You’ll crack before I do.  _

 

**We’ll see about that. Now, what was the name of the prince?**

 

_ His name is Prince Roman Sanders.  _


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone who has commented. It brings a smile to my face every time I get feedback. You have all been so supportive. Thanks!

Roman was never allowed to wander further than the edge of the castle grounds. The knights made sure he never got too far. He had never been into the kingdom before, not even by his father’s side. The king had such great faith in him becoming the next ruler of the land, yet he had never been able to meet the people he was supposed to rule.

 

It was time for him to finally sneak out and explore the kingdom for himself. It was evident to Roman that everyone in the castle had been lying to him his entire life, save for his siblings, who were being told the same lies. His parents had told them that they had created the perfect kingdom, but the truth was coming out now, and it seemed like it was the exact opposite. HIs friend had described the kingdom as being poisoned before they knew Roman was reading their thoughts. Maybe it wasn’t as much as a lie as he had originally thought.

 

**Where do you live?**

 

Roman had to find the person he had been writing to this whole time. Now that he knew they were both alive in the present, he had to go help them. Even if it meant staying away from the castle for a while, he had to do something.

 

Looking down at himself, Roman realized that he couldn’t go out wearing clothes meant for a prince. He had to blend in, and his fancy clothes would stand out. Tucking the pen behind his ear, he grabbed the journal and exited his quarters. Glancing back and forth, Roman found that a lot of the servants were out working. That was good. That meant there were less of them by the laundry room. Acting normally, Roman slipped by everyone. 

 

In the laundry room, where the clothes of everyone in the castle got washed (or course, there was a separate part for the royals’ clothes that kept them from getting mixed in with the servants’ clothes), there were only a few people working. It was easy for Roman to get by them when their backs were turn. As quickly as he could, he grabbed a clean outfit from the servants’ pile. In the past, the servants would wear ragged, torn up clothing, but ever since his father became king, they were given normal clothes that people in the kingdom would wear. Before, Roman would have thought that it was very nice, and it was, but now he wondered if there was some kind of hidden meaning behind it. 

 

Roman changed into the outfit in one of the bathrooms littered throughout the palace. When he looked in the mirror, he found that he looked very different. It was peculiar, but it worked. He would be able to pass off as a normal villager. Nobody would recognize him, especially because nobody had ever seen him before.

 

The hard part would be getting out of the castle. It would be easier if he could get one of the horses and ride it out of there, but that would be too obvious. The guards would be on him in a second. No, he would have to go the long way around. There was a spot at the back of the castle that had less guards. There were still some there, but it would be easier to get around them. 

 

The prince made a break for it. It would probably be simpler for him to get the escape over with right away than to drag it on and on by being slow. He managed to get around the guards with no problem. It made him realize how effortless it would have been for somebody to get in this way too, but he didn’t have too much time to think about that. 

 

He was out. Roman kept running until he was far away from the castle. There were a lot of woods and trees near him, which he used to hide himself. Of course, he didn’t go too far in. He did not need to be getting lost. 

 

Once he determined that he was far enough away from the palace, Roman stopped to catch his breath. He wasn’t out of shape, per se, but he hadn’t been able to run all the way across the kingdom before. Sitting down, hidden in the trees, Roman opened up the journal. His friend had finally responded. They had probably responded shortly after Roman had asked where they lived, as they had been having a whole conversation before that, but escaping had taken a lot of time. It was completely dark outside now, which made it hard for Roman to see what his friend had written, but the light of the moon and the shine of nearby lights illuminating the empty road let him barely make out the words. 

 

_ Why does it matter? It’s not as if it’ll do you any good. My house would probably be really old in your time. If not, it would be gone. _

 

**Please, just tell me.**

 

_ Alright… I live in the far east of the land in a village called Anxi. My house is at the edge of the village, in the east again. It’s a fair size, I suppose. Brown, plain, boring. It’s nothing special. _

 

**Is there anything else you could tell me about it? Anything that would be a dead give away?**

 

_ There’s a large tree out front with a sign with our family name hung on it. Srednas.  _

 

**Okay, good. Will you please tell me your name now? Please?**

 

_ Fine, fine. My name is Virgil. I am a dude. _

 

Roman felt his heart flutter. Virgil Srednas. He sounded beautiful. 

 

**It’s nice to meet you, Virgil. I am a guy as well.**

 

_ What, no name? _

 

**You’ll find out in time, but I can’t right now. I promise you’ll know soon. I have to do something first, and then I can tell you.**

 

_ That sounds suspicious, but okay. I’ll be patient.  _

 

He now had a destination in mind. He had to make his way over to Anxi. He believed that it wasn’t too far away, but it would take at least a few hours to get there. Wasting no time, Roman set off again at a fast pace, trying to reach the village as soon as possible. 

 

...

 

Patton walked through Anxi with a hood covering his face. Nobody recognized him, so he didn’t have to worry about anyone coming after him again for now. He carried a few bags in his hands, stocking up on food and other supplies so that he would not have to go to the market again for a while. 

 

When he got home, Patton put everything away. Once he was satisfied with the way he had organized everything, he turned to Logan, who had perched himself on top of the counter next to him.

 

“You think you belong up there, don’t you,” Patton giggled. The cat blinked, not finding him amusing, before he pointed his head towards the door. “What is it that you want?”

 

The cat nodded to the door again. Patton looked out the window, thinking that the cat had seen something outside that he had not detected with his magic. 

 

“There’s nothing outside,” Patton insisted. Logan had to be trying to tell him something. He was too smart to be randomly making motions like that. “I don’t understand. There’s nowhere for me to go, and there’s nothing to see.”

 

Logan looked exasperated, but Patton did not know how to please him. He thought that that would be the end of this interaction, but he was greatly mistaken. He was starting to turn back around to go read about magic when it happened.

 

Logan turned into a human.

 

“Wh-What?” Patton squeaked, taken off guard. He gaped at the man in front of him, who couldn’t be that much older than himself. He was very handsome, with light brown hair and pretty brown eyes. He wore glasses similar to Patton’s, and his outfit consisted of a nice shirt and pants. 

 

“Hello, Patton,” the man greeted, his voice very proper, “I apologize for not revealing myself sooner, but I did not know how you would take this.”

 

“You’re a shapeshifter?”

 

“Yes, that is another reason why I never told you. It would risk people finding out if I went between forms, and I quite enjoy living.”

 

“Oh, well, what is your name then?” Patton asked, feeling his face heat up in embarrassment. He was really attracted to this man, and he did not want to make a fool of himself in front of him. His mind kept going through everything Patton had done in front of the cat, making him realize that the guy probably already thought lowly of him.

 

“Oh, my name is still Logan,” the guy said. “My species chooses one person to bond with for their entire life, and we take whatever name is given to us by them. Since you’re a warlock, I guess you could say I’m like your familiar, but please don’t call me that.”

 

Patton’s eyes widened. “And you chose me?”

 

“Correct.”

 

“But… why?”

 

“I was impressed by your skills in magic.”

 

“You didn’t see my magic until later. Did you know I was a warlock before that then?”

 

“Oh, uh, no,” Logan trailed off, unable to find a way to save himself. In the end, he gave up, coming out with the truth. “I might have thought you were… cute.”

 

Patton’s face grew brighter. “Past tense? Thought?”

 

Logan had a slight brush dusting his cheeks as well. “No, I definitely still find you cute, but it’s more than that now. I’m not good with emotions, but after spending so much time with you, slowly forming our bond, I have found myself falling for you.”

 

Patton smiled at him. “I think we can work with that.”

 

They both were grinning, stepping closer to one another as they gazed into each other’s eyes. It was the perfect moment, something out of a fairy tail. Patton opened his mouth to continue their conversation when Logan suddenly remembered something.

 

“Patton, the reason I had to show myself now is because I can feel that something is about to happen. I get these strange urges sometimes, and it’s more intense when I’m around your magic. I think that plan of yours is working. Something big happened. I don’t know what, but it did, and we need to help,” Logan said. 

 

“What-” Patton started, but he was cut off by the sound of a loud horn blaring in the distance. The two of them glanced at each other before running out of the house. When they got to the village, they found that a crowd of people had gathered around a messenger.

 

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the messenger hollered, “Prince Roman Sanders has gone missing! The king believes foul play to be involved, and he wishes for everyone to be on the lookout! Getting the prince back is of utmost priority!”

 

Talk broke out within the crowd.

 

“Why should we help them?” One person questioned.

 

“They don’t help with our needs. Why should we care that one of them went missing?”

 

“The prince will turn out like his father, anyway. It’s not like finding the guy will do the kingdom any good.”

 

Comments like these could be heard from everywhere. Patton and Logan listened for a minute, but then broke away from the rest of the crowd.

 

“You gave the other journal to Prince Roman, right?” Patton asked.

 

“Yes, it seemed the most logical thing to do,” Logan nodded.

 

“Then he must have figured out that the world is a horrible place. I had a feeling that the king was making the kingdom out to be a wonderful paradise to his family. None of his children have stepped out of line until now, and the king thinks that somebody else is at fault for the prince going missing.”

 

“He’s probably on his way to find Virgil.”

 

“You know Virgil?” a voice interrupted them. The two magical beings turned towards the source of the voice, thinking that they had been caught by one of the guards that roamed the place. What they found instead was a boy peeking out from an alleyway between two buildings. He was wearing plain clothes, but his face was too proper for him to be a regular commoner.

 

“I’m assuming that you’re Prince Roman,” Logan said.

 

“Um,” the boy didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t thought of what to do if somebody ended up recognizing him.

 

“It’s alright if you are!” Patton hurried to reassure him. “We won’t tell anybody. In fact, we’d like to help you!”

 

“Do you, uh, know where Virgil lives by any chance? He told me a general location and what to look for on his house, but there are so many streets to go down. It will take me all day to filter through all of these houses!”

 

“If you follow me, I can help you find Virgil,” Patton offered. The boy agreed immediately, making Patton laugh. He gestured for him to follow, then turned to walk in the direction that he had felt Virgil go when he had left his house the other day. 

 

On the way, when they were hidden from the view of others, Logan turned back into his cat form so that he could sit upon Patton’s shoulder. He figured that if he could do that, then there was no reason for him to walk such a long distance to Virgil’s house.

 

“Hey, that’s the cat that gave me this journal!” Roman realized.

 

“Yes, this is Logan,” Patton told him. 

 

“He’s a what, then? A shapeshifter?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Before, I would have thought that to be normal, but now I know that my father has banned magical beings in the kingdom. How is he still here? Not that I would want him to be run out or executed, I’m just confused on how he has not been found out.”

 

Patton understood what he meant. “The same way I’m still here. We hide. I’m a warlock, so I casted a ton of spells onto my house so that it can’t be found. Only those who I would consider worthy can enter the territory. That’s how I met Virgil. He stumbled onto my house when he was lost, and I ended up trusting him because my wards had done so as well.”

 

Roman frowned. Patton was a really great guy, and he was helping him find the one person who helped him realize that things needed to change, so it was really unfair that he had to live this way. “I promise that I will remove all of these bans on magic when I’m king. I’ll actually go out of my way to make this a better place, something my father has neglected to do.”

 

“Thank you, the entire kingdom has been waiting for a change. What exactly has your father been telling you about the people in this land? You don’t have to tell me, of course, but I would really like to know what you and your siblings have been told. I don’t want to be making judgements on you guys if it’s not your fault that you didn’t know about the problems of the kingdom.”

 

Roman explained to Patton the basics of what he had been taught during all of his life. He told him about all of the falsehoods his father spread. All of the lies about everything being perfect in the kingdom was spilled. 

 

“Then it’s a good thing you’re learning the truth,” Patton said.

 

“And I have you to thank partially for that, right? You are the one responsible for the magic journal, are you not?” Roman asked. 

 

“Yes, I enchanted your journal and Virgil’s journal so that you could communicate to each other. I saw how much he was suffering, so I thought that this would help him. I also wanted to help the kingdom, so I had Logan give you the other journal so that your eyes would be opened to what has been going on.”

 

“Thank you so much,” Roman smiled with a lot of appreciation for the other.

 

“It’s not big deal,” Patton waved him off. “Now, let’s go get your man.”

 

Roman choked. “My what?! He’s not MY man!”

 

Patton gave him a knowing look. “Isn’t he? You love him, don’t you?”

 

Roman stuttered, unable to give an answer. He hadn’t thought about it before, but there had been a reason for him needing to desperately find Virgil. He could have easily helped the kingdom by himself by challenging his father for the throne and becoming king a little bit earlier than planned, but instead he went off to find this mysterious boy. It was because he loved Virgil. He had fallen in love with this poor boy in only a few words written on a page.

 

“Let’s go get my man,” Roman finally agreed. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating this story for so long. I'll try to crank out chapters in the next week or so in order to hopefully finish up the story. I tend to lose interest in writing my multi-chapter fics for a while before getting back to them, which is why I mainly stick to my really long one-shots. Anyway, I kind of have a plan for how this is going to end, but I am also winging it at the same time. I just don't want it to be bad. I feel like this story might be going downhill the more I write it, so sorry if this chapter and future ones suck.

There was an impossible amount of work to do that day. Virgil was used to having a ton of work, but his father had doubled the chore list. There was no way he could get all of it done by the time his father got home. 

 

Virgil suspected that the reason he had been given so many chores was because his father was angry. The day before, his stepmom had not come home, so his father went out to look for her. He found her at another man’s house. She claimed that he was a friend that she was comforting because his wife just left him, but there was a lot of evidence pointing towards an affair. Frankly, Virgil didn’t really care about that, but he did not like the extra work his father was throwing at his son because of it. 

 

It was getting later in the afternoon. His father would be home in the next few hours, yet Virgil barely had half of the chores finished. He was preparing himself for a punishment, for he knew one was coming.

 

While he worked, he tried to take his mind off of the inevitable punishment. He forced himself to think about the enchanted journal instead. Whoever was writing to him had been really persistent in him telling him where he lived. He wondered why it was so important. 

 

More time passed. Virgil tried his best to get everything done, but it was a fruitless attempt. He prayed that his father would be held up and get home late, but luck was not on his side today. The front door slammed open, causing Virgil to jump. His father and stepmother both came storming inside, an intense argument going on.

 

“I can’t believe you were with him again!” His father screamed at her, his face a deep shade of angry red. 

 

“I told you, nothing is going on!” The stepmom insisted.

 

“You’re such a liar! I heard the noises you were making! You’re cheating on me!”

 

“No, I-”

 

“Save it! Go upstairs and pack up all of your stuff! You better be out of here soon, and anything you don’t take now will be burned!”

 

The stepmom burst into tears. She ran upstairs, her sobs ringing throughout the house. 

 

His father turned to Virgil angrily. “And you! Have you done your chores?”

 

Virgil didn’t want to admit that he hadn’t. It was obvious to him that he would already be suffering because of his father’s anger towards his stepmom, but he would be livid when he found out that he was unable to finish the work.

 

“ANSWER ME!” His father got in his face, spit flying everywhere.

 

“I-I couldn’t finish them. There wasn’t enough time! I could have done them, but-” Virgil shrunk back as his father pushed him back, making him fall to the ground.

 

“SHUT UP!” 

 

“I’m sorry, father, I-”

 

“I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!”

 

Virgil felt his heart drop as his father stepped towards him. He stared up at him in horror, not prepared for what was about to happen. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the way his father’s fist was raised in anger.

 

...

 

Roman and Patton spent all day looking through all of the houses on the east side of Anxi. Patton managed to narrow down their search a little, but he still wasn’t completely sure which house was Virgil’s.

 

“We’re never going to find it!” Roman cried out. 

 

“Yes we will,” Patton reassured him. “There are only a few houses left once we turn this corner. I’m sure it’ll be there.”

 

“But what if I’m mistaken? What if he’s really...from the future?! He could have been talking about a different Prince Roman that will be born sometime later! Or…” Roman gasped in horror, “What if I never become king and stay a prince forever because I turn out to be such a terrible person? What if it’s MY fault that he is living in such awful conditions?!” 

 

“Roman, I promise you that you’ll find him! I’m the one that gave him the journal, remember? So calm down, everything will work out fine in the end!”

 

Roman took a deep breath, forcing himself to think rationally. “You’re right. I’m over thinking.”

 

A beat passed. Then:

 

“But he wrote about how he wanted to get out of the kingdom! He’ll probably hate me because his life is so dreadful! It’s my parents’ fault that they aren’t doing anything to help the people, and he’ll probably think that I’m just like them!” Roman ranted on and on, getting more upset with each word that came out of his mouth.

 

“But you’re doing something about it now! You’re going to help him, as well as the rest of the kingdom, right? He’ll understand your situation. It’s not your fault that the kingdom ended up this way,” Patton tried his best to make Roman feel better. He needed to be calm when they found Virgil so that he wouldn’t scare or anger him. 

 

The two of them turned the corner, finding themselves facing the last few houses in the area. Roman looked around while agreeing with Patton, knowing that he had to clear his mind. 

 

“Again, you are correct,” Roman sighed, “I need to- hey, look! There it is!”

 

The house they were standing in front of was exactly how Virgil had described it. Roman grinned, relieved to find that the boy really was part of this time. He could help him.

 

“Roman, listen,” Patton urged, shaking his arm to get him out of his mind. Roman listened carefully, trying to hear what the warlock had heard. His eyes widened as he realized that the sounds of shouting filled the air. Somebody was very angry at another person inside that house.

 

“Hurry! We have to help! Virgil is probably in there, and he might be in trouble right now!” Roman panicked, rushing to the front door. Lifting his clenched fists, he knocked loudly on the door. Immediately, the noises from within stopped as whoever was shouting heard that they had company at the door. Silence washed over the place, but nobody came to answer.

 

“I think they're trying to pretend that nobody is home,” Patton whispered. 

 

Roman nodded, agreeing. Pulling out his sword, he got ready in case he had to get in a fight. He pounded on the wooden door again, shouting to who was inside, “I know you’re in there! I am here on order of the royal family! Open the door!”

 

A gasp could be heard before the door swung open. A man stood in the doorway, holding himself and the door in a way that they could not see inside.

 

“What can I do fo- hey, you don’t look like somebody associated with the royal family! You’re just a mere boy! I’d advise you getting off my property if you know what’s good for you,” The man growled.

 

Raising the sword so that it was pointed at the man’s throat, Roman retaliated. “I assure you, I am here on royal business. If you do not believe me, then I’m sure the royal family’s crest on this sword will be convincing enough. Now, step aside. I need to come in.”

 

“Th-That’s the crest used be those part of the royal family only.  You’re-”

 

“Here to see what has been going on in this kingdom, starting with this household,” Roman interrupted. “Move aside and let me in.”

 

The man eyed the sword for a second before reluctantly letting Roman and Patton through. What they found inside the house shocked them. On the floor, partially hidden behind the couch in a hurried attempt to cover up what was happening, was a young boy. A young, bleeding boy with many bruises littering his skin. Roman immediately rushed to his side, knowing exactly why it was.

 

“Wh-Who are you?” The boy, who Roman knew for sure was Virgil,  barely whispered as Roman gathered him in his arms. “What are y-you doing?”

 

“I’m here to take you away from this man. He shall be punished in due time, but for now, we just need to make our escape.” Roman explained. “As for who I am, well… I am Prince Roman.”

 

“Wh-What?” 

 

“And I am very sorry for having let you and the rest of this kingdom down. If I had known what was going on, I would have started a plan a lot sooner. Now, I’ll explain more when we get away, but for now, let’s go.”

 

Roman gathered Virgil in his arms, lifting him up off of the ground. They were in a dangerous position now, as Roman had to put the sword away in order to comfortably hold the boy. Luckily, Virgil’s dad was too frightened to fight them, so they were able to escape the house without any more incidents occurring.

 

“I told you that you’d learn who I am soon,” Roman said as he ran back to Patton’s house, Patton himself keeping pace with him. Looking down, Roman saw that Virgil looked shocked. However, before he could respond, he promptly passed out due to all of the wounds he had.


End file.
